EP3401081B1 - Three-dimensional modeling apparatuses and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects - Google Patents
Three-dimensional modeling apparatuses and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects Download PDFInfo
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- EP3401081B1 EP3401081B1 EP18169410.0A EP18169410A EP3401081B1 EP 3401081 B1 EP3401081 B1 EP 3401081B1 EP 18169410 A EP18169410 A EP 18169410A EP 3401081 B1 EP3401081 B1 EP 3401081B1
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- air
- nozzle
- section
- molten material
- air blowing
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
- B29C64/106—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
- B29C64/118—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C35/00—Heating, cooling or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanising; Apparatus therefor
- B29C35/16—Cooling
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
- B29C64/106—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
- B29C64/188—Processes of additive manufacturing involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control
- B29C64/194—Processes of additive manufacturing involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control during lay-up
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C64/205—Means for applying layers
- B29C64/209—Heads; Nozzles
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C64/245—Platforms or substrates
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C64/295—Heating elements
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
- B29C64/30—Auxiliary operations or equipment
- B29C64/386—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B29C64/393—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
- B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- B33Y10/00—Processes of additive manufacturing
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
- B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- B33Y30/00—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
- B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- B33Y50/00—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y50/02—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
- B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- B33Y70/00—Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C35/00—Heating, cooling or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanising; Apparatus therefor
- B29C35/16—Cooling
- B29C2035/1658—Cooling using gas
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C35/00—Heating, cooling or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanising; Apparatus therefor
- B29C35/16—Cooling
- B29C2035/1658—Cooling using gas
- B29C2035/1666—Cooling using gas dried air
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2101/00—Use of unspecified macromolecular compounds as moulding material
- B29K2101/12—Thermoplastic materials
Definitions
- the present invention relates to three-dimensional modeling apparatuses and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects.
- JP-A-2006-192710 describes a technique of improving the modeling precision for three-dimensional objects when a plasticized material which quickly solidifies is used. According to the technique, a solvent is supplied on the top of a solidified material to melt the solidified material, and then a molten material is further deposited onto the material.
- the material may not quickly solidify, and the deposition may be performed while the material is melted. As a consequence, the deposited material may be deformed due to its weight, leading to a low modeling precision.
- CN 103 552 240 discloses a cooling device for a 3D printer, comprising an annular member for surrounding an extrusion nozzle, and an air pump.
- the annular member includes upper and lower parts, the latter provided with a plurality of concentric annular gas paths to ensure that a cooling range is uniformly distributed about the extrusion nozzle, to ensure the same amount of cooling on the local raw materials and to avoid vibration on the extrusion nozzle.
- US 2015/314528 discloses a method and apparatus for increasing inter-layer bonding in objects manufactured by 3D printing techniques. According to the disclosure, this bonding is improved by using one or more targeted heat sources to preheat a targeted portion of existing object material before additional material is added to the object.
- the present invention can be implemented as the following aspects.
- the present invention can be implemented in various forms besides the three-dimensional modeling apparatus described above.
- the present invention can be implemented as a method for fabricating a three-dimensional object, a computer program for fabricating a three-dimensional object, a non-transitory tangible storage medium that stores the computer program, or the like.
- Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of a first embodiment not in accordance with the present invention.
- the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes an ejection unit 100, a platform 200, and a control unit 300.
- Fig. 1 indicates three directions X, Y, and Z perpendicular to each other.
- the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions, and +the Z direction is a vertically upward direction. These directions are indicated as necessary in other drawings as well.
- +Z direction is also referred to as an "upper side”
- -Z direction is also referred to as a "lower side.”
- the ejection unit 100 includes a screw case 15, a hopper 20 that accommodates a material, a drive motor 30, a flat screw 40, a heating unit 50, an ejection section 60 having a nozzle 61 for ejecting a molten material, and an air blowing unit 70.
- the flat screw 40 and the heating unit 50 constitute a plasticizing section 90 that plasticizes a thermoplastic material to transform into a molten material.
- plasticize refers to application of heat to melt a material.
- thermoplastic material is inputted into the hopper 20.
- a material that can be used include polypropylene resin (PP), polyethylene resin (PE), polyacetal resin (POM), polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC), polyamide resin (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS), polylactic acid resin (PLA), polyphenylene sulfide resin (PPS), poly ether ketone (PEEK), and polycarbonate (PC).
- PP polypropylene resin
- PE polyethylene resin
- POM polyacetal resin
- PVC polyvinyl chloride resin
- PA polyamide resin
- ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin
- PLA polylactic acid resin
- PPS polyphenylene sulfide resin
- PEEK poly ether ketone
- PC polycarbonate
- materials in the form of solids such as pellet and powder can be used.
- thermoplastic materials may be composites containing a thermoplastic material and other
- the flat screw 40 of the plasticizing section 90 is housed in the screw case 15 and is rotated by the drive motor 30.
- a material is supplied onto the side surface of the flat screw 40 from the hopper 20 via a communication path 22.
- a material is plasticized into a molten material in a space between the undersurface of the flat screw 40 and the upper surface of the heating unit 50 by rotation of the flat screw 40 and heat from the heating unit 50.
- the heating unit 50 has a heater 58 embedded therein for heating a material.
- the molten material is supplied to the ejection section 60 via a communication hole 56 disposed at the center of the heating unit 50, and ejected through the nozzle 61.
- the diameter of the nozzle 61 is, for example, in the range of 0.07 to 2.0 mm, and the line diameter of the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61 is also in the range of 0.07 to 2.0 mm.
- the platform 200 is a table on which the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61 is deposited.
- the platform 200 has a plate shape.
- the platform 200 can be moved in three axis directions, that is, X, Y, and Z directions, by the transport mechanism 220.
- the transport mechanism 220 has a function of changing the relative positional relationship between the ejection section 60 and the platform 200.
- the transport mechanism 220 can be used to change the relative positional relationship between the ejection section 60 and the platform 200 to thereby produce a three-dimensional object OB having a desired shape.
- the transport mechanism 220 transports the platform 200 in a three-dimensional manner.
- the transport mechanism 220 may have a mechanism that moves the ejection section 60 (that is, the ejection unit 100) in a three-dimensional manner.
- another transport mechanism can be used in which one of the ejection section 60 (that is, the ejection unit 100) and the platform 200 is moved in the first or second axial direction, while the other may be moved in the other axial direction.
- the control unit 300 controls the drive motor 30 of the ejection unit 100 and the transport mechanism 220 to thereby control the position of the ejection section 60 relative to the platform 200, and thus the position at which the molten material is deposited on the platform 200. Further, the control unit 300 controls blowing of air from the air blowing unit 70. In the present embodiment, the control unit 300 performs blowing of air from the air blowing unit 70 when the ejection section 60 ejects the molten material, and stops blowing of air from the air blowing unit 70 when the ejection section 60 does not eject the molten material.
- the control unit 300 can be implemented, for example, by a processor such as a CPU, and a computer including a memory.
- the memory stores a computer program for controlling the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10.
- the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium.
- Fig. 2 is a perspective view which illustrates the undersurface of the flat screw 40.
- the flat screw 40 is a screw having a substantially columnar shape with the height in the axial direction smaller than the diameter.
- the flat screw 40 has a plurality of scroll grooves 42 on the surface facing the heating unit 50 ( Fig. 1 ).
- the surface on which the scroll grooves 42 are formed is referred to as a "scroll groove forming surface 48."
- the scroll grooves 42 are formed in a volute or spiral shape extending from the outer periphery of the flat screw 40 toward the center part 46 of the scroll groove forming surface 48.
- the scroll groove 42 is continuous with a material inlet 44 formed on the side surface of the flat screw 40.
- the material inlet 44 is a portion that receives a material supplied from the hopper 20 via the communication path 22. As the flat screw 40 rotates, the material is plasticized while being heated.
- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the heating unit 50.
- the heating unit 50 has a screw facing surface 52 that faces the scroll groove forming surface 48 of the flat screw 40.
- the screw facing surface 52 has a plurality of guide grooves 54 formed in a volute or spiral shape.
- the communication hole 56 is formed at the center of the screw facing surface 52 so as to supply a molten material therethrough to the ejection section 60.
- the plurality of guide grooves 54 has a function of guiding a molten material to the communication hole 56.
- the heating unit 50 has a heater 58 embedded therein for heating a material.
- the material is plasticized by heating of the heater 58 and rotation of the flat screw 40.
- the plasticized molten material is heated to a glass transition temperature or higher to be completely melted, and ejected from the ejection section 60 through the communication hole 56.
- Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a schematic structure of the air blowing unit 70.
- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an undersurface of the air blowing unit 70.
- the air blowing unit 70 includes a first air blowing section 71 and a second air blowing section 81.
- the temperature of air blown from the first air blowing section 71 and the second air blowing section 81 is room temperature (20°C).
- the first air blowing section 71 blows air from the circumference of the nozzle 61 toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61.
- the first air blowing section 71 of the present embodiment blows air from a position above the tip of the nozzle 61 toward the molten material.
- the first air blowing section 71 includes a first member 72 having a substantially tubular shape which is fixed to the circumference of the ejection section 60 of a columnar shape.
- a protrusion 73 of a flange shape is provided on the outer periphery of the first member 72.
- a first air guide member 74 is provided on the distal side relative to the protrusion 73 (on the -Z direction-side).
- the first air guide member 74 formed in a substantially conical shape and has an opening at the center of the tip. From the opening of the first air guide member 74, the conical tip of the ejection section 60 protrudes in the -Z direction.
- a spiral flow path 75 is formed to extend along the outer periphery of the ejection section 60.
- a first introduction port 76 is provided at the upper end of the flow path 75 so that compressed air is introduced therethrough.
- the air which has flowed through the flow path 75 is blown out along the first air guide member 74 which is provided on the circumference of the nozzle 61 toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61. Since the compressed air flows through the spiral flow path 75, the air blown out from the first air blowing section 71 may become a turbulence. Accordingly, the temperature of the molten material can be efficiently decreased.
- the amount of air flow (flow rate) from the first air blowing section 71 is, for example, in the range of 3 to 50 L/min. This flow rate is set so that the temperature (for example, 200°C) of the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61 is decreased to a temperature of 5 to 30°C higher than the glass transition temperature of the material, and more preferably a temperature of 10 to 20°C higher than the glass transition temperature of the material.
- the flow path 75 may have a double spiral structure.
- the flow path 75 is not limited to a spiral shape, and may be a tubular flow path, for example.
- the first air blowing section 71 of the present embodiment configured as above performs blowing of air from the entire circumference of the nozzle 61.
- the first air blowing section 71 may be configured to blow air toward the molten material from air flow ports disposed at three or more, preferably four or more positions on the circumference of the nozzle 61 at a constant angular interval. With this configuration as well, air can be blown from the circumference of the nozzle 61.
- the second air blowing section 81 blows air from the circumference of the first air blowing section 71 in a direction toward the platform 200.
- the direction toward the platform 200 refers to a direction having a component of a direction toward the platform 200, and is preferably a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the platform 200.
- the second air blowing section 81 includes an annular member 83 fixed to the circumference of the protrusion 73, and a second air guide member 84 formed in a substantially conical shape which extends from the undersurface of the annular member 83 (the surface on the -Z direction-side) to the circumference of the opening of the first air guide member 74.
- a second introduction port 85 is provided on the annular member 83 so that compressed air is introduced therethrough.
- the air which has introduced from the second introduction port 85 flows in a space formed between the first air guide member 74 and the second air guide member 84 and is blown out from the opening of the second air guide member 84 toward the platform 200.
- the opening of the second air guide member 84 and the opening of the first air guide member 74 are concentrically disposed about the center of the nozzle 61.
- the flow rate from the second air blowing section 81 is not specifically limited, but preferably a flow rate that ensures a laminar flow.
- the second air blowing section 81 of the present embodiment performs blowing of air from the entire circumference of the first air blowing section 71.
- the second air blowing section 81 may be configured to blow air from air flow ports disposed at three or more, preferably four or more positions on the circumference of the first air blowing section 71 at a constant angular interval. With this configuration as well, air can be blown from the circumference of the first air blowing section 71.
- the three-dimensional object OB is generally fabricated according to the following procedure. That is, a method for fabricating a three-dimensional object according to the present embodiment includes:
- Figs. 6 to 8 are views which illustrate an effect of the present embodiment.
- Fig. 6 illustrates a hollow box fabricated as a three-dimensional object without blowing air toward the molten material.
- the top surface of the box sagged due to its weight. This was attributed to the fact that the temperature of the deposited material was too high to hold the shape.
- the box was fabricated without sag of the top surface as shown in Fig. 7 .
- drawing of a single line in the air can also be performed by blowing air toward the molten material.
- the air blowing unit 70 decreased the temperature of the molten material, which enabled adhesion and shape holding of the materials.
- the three-dimensional objects shown in Figs. 6 to 8 were all fabricated by transforming an ABS resin having a glass transition temperature of 89°C into the molten material of a 1.0 mm line diameter and a 200°C temperature.
- the three-dimensional objects shown in Figs. 7 and 8 were fabricated by depositing the molten material whose temperature was decreased to approximately 100°C by the air blowing unit 70.
- the temperature (200°C) of the molten material before blowing of air is a temperature of the material in the nozzle 61, while the temperature (100°C) after blowing of air is a temperature of the material at the time when the material is ejected from the nozzle 61 to be deposited on the platform 200 or on the layer which has been already formed.
- an overhang portion in the three-dimensional object shown in Fig. 8 can be fabricated without using a support material.
- the support material is a material for supporting the overhang portion from the underside during fabrication of the three-dimensional object and the material is removed after the three-dimensional object is fabricated.
- the ejection direction of the molten material can be stabilized. Accordingly, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved.
- air blown from the second air blowing section 81 toward the platform 200 can block a change in the air flow around the ejection section 60. Accordingly, fluctuation in the ejection direction of the material ejected from the nozzle 61 due to disturbance factors can be prevented. As a result, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved.
- a material is plasticized by the plasticizing section 90 which includes the flat screw 40.
- the height of the apparatus can be reduced, and the entire apparatus can be downsized.
- various types and shapes of materials can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects. This is a great advantage over the conventional fused deposition modeling (FDM) type three-dimensional modeling apparatus, which requires a filament of the material.
- FDM fused deposition modeling
- the air blowing unit 70 of the present embodiment includes two air blowing sections, that is, the first air blowing section 71 and the second air blowing section 81.
- the second air blowing section 81 may not be necessarily provided.
- the control unit 300 controls whether the air blowing unit 70 blows air or not.
- blowing of air from the air blowing unit 70 can also be controlled manually or by use of another device.
- the control unit 300 controls the direction of air flow from the air blowing unit.
- FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of an air blowing unit 70a of the second embodiment.
- Fig. 9 illustrates positioning of air outlets of the air blowing unit 70a as viewed from the above (on the +Z direction-side).
- a first air blowing section 71a of the present embodiment includes a plurality of first air outlets 77 disposed around the nozzle 61 to perform blowing of air toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61.
- the flow rate of the first air outlets 77 can be each adjusted.
- eight first air outlets 77 are disposed around the nozzle 61 at a constant angular interval. Compressed air is supplied to the respective first air outlets 77 via a piping.
- the control unit 300 controls on/off and flow rate of the air flow of each of the first air outlets 77 by controlling valves disposed in the piping.
- a second air blowing section 81a of the present embodiment includes a plurality of second air outlets 87 disposed around the first air blowing section 71a to perform blowing of air toward the platform 200.
- the flow rate of the second air outlets 87 can be each adjusted.
- eight second air outlets 87 are disposed around the first air blowing section 71a at a constant angular interval. Compressed air is supplied to the respective second air outlets 87 via a piping.
- the control unit 300 controls on/off and flow rate of the air flow of each of the second air outlets 87 by controlling valves disposed in the piping.
- control unit 300 controls the flow rate of each of the first air outlets 77 depending on the movement direction of the ejection section 60 relative to the platform 200. Further, the control unit 300 controls the flow rate of each of the second air outlets 87 depending on the movement direction of the ejection section 60 relative to the platform 200.
- Figs. 10 and 11 are explanatory views which illustrate a concept of air flow control by the control unit 300.
- Fig. 10 shows the movement direction of the ejection section 60 during fabrication of the three-dimensional object shown in Fig. 8 .
- the first direction shown in Fig. 10 indicates the direction of the ejection section 60 moving in the -Y direction.
- the second direction indicates the direction of the ejection section 60 moving in the -X direction.
- the third direction indicates the direction of the ejection section 60 moving in the +Y direction.
- the fourth direction indicates the direction of the ejection section 60 moving in the +X direction.
- the fifth direction indicates the direction of the ejection section 60 moving in the +X direction and -Y direction.
- Fig. 11 illustrates the amount of air flow (flow rate) of the first air outlets 77 and the second air outlets 87 depending on the movement direction of the ejection section 60. Further, Fig. 11 illustrates a blow direction of air to the deposited linear shaped molten material in conjunction with the cross-section of the molten material.
- the control unit 300 increases the flow rate of the first air outlets 77 and the second air outlets 87 located forward and lateral side in the movement direction of the ejection section 60.
- the control unit 300 decreases the flow rate of the first air outlets 77 and the second air outlets 87 located rearward in the movement direction of the ejection section 60.
- controlling the flow rate of the first air outlets 77 and the second air outlets 87 can reduce the effect of the change in air flow around the ejection section 60 caused by movement of the ejection section 60 on the ejection direction of the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61. Accordingly, three-dimensional objects can be fabricated with higher precision.
- the flow rates of the air outlets of both the first air blowing section 71a and the second air blowing section 81a are controlled.
- the air outlets of either the first air blowing section 71a or the second air blowing section 81a may also be controlled.
- the present embodiment is described as having eight first air outlets 77 and eight second air outlets 87.
- the number of air outlets may be smaller (e.g., four) or larger (e.g., sixteen) than those described.
- the flow rate is adjusted in three levels (low flow rate, medium flow rate, and high flow rate) as shown in Fig. 11 .
- the flow rate may be adjusted in two levels, that is, whether to blow or not to blow.
- Fig. 12 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10b of the third embodiment of the present invention.
- the third embodiment differs from the other embodiments in the configuration of the air blowing unit.
- an air blowing unit 70b of the present embodiment includes four tubes 79 disposed around the nozzle 61 (ejection section 60) at a constant angular interval.
- tubes 79 are, for example, fixed to the ejection section 60 or the screw case 15 by a clamp 91 or the like.
- Each tube 79 has a function corresponding to the first air blowing section 71 of the first embodiment. Therefore, compressed air is introduced into the respective tubes 79 so that air is blown from the end of each tube 79 toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61.
- the temperature of the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61 can also be decreased by use of the air blowing unit 70b configured with the tube 79 to thereby improve modeling precision of the three-dimensional object OB.
- the air blowing unit 70b configured with the tube 79 to thereby improve modeling precision of the three-dimensional object OB.
- the present embodiment is described as having four tubes 79.
- the number of tubes 79 may be more than four.
- eight tubes 79 may be disposed around the nozzle 61 at a constant angular interval.
- a plurality of tubes may be disposed around these tubes 79 at a constant angular interval to thereby configure the first air blowing sections 71 and the second air blowing sections 81 with the tubes.
- air is blown to the material (constituent material) of the three-dimensional object.
- air may be blown to a support material that supports the constituent material. That is, the present invention may be applied not only to the constituent material, but also to deposition of the support material used for fabrication of the three-dimensional object.
- the flat screw 40 is used to plasticize the material.
- the ejection unit 100 is not limited to that uses the flat screw 40 as long as it is configured to plasticize a material for ejection.
- the ejection unit 100 may be configured to melt a material by using a preheater and extrude the molten material from an extrusion nozzle by rotation of a long-length screw.
- the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes the ejection unit 100, the platform 200, and the control unit 300.
- the ejection unit 100 can be regarded as the three-dimensional modeling apparatus in a more restricted sense.
- the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes one ejection unit 100.
- the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 may include a plurality of ejection units 100.
- one of the ejection units 100 may be configured to eject a support material for supporting the three-dimensional object OB, while the other may be configured to eject the constituent material of the three-dimensional object OB.
- the respective ejection units 100 may be configured to eject different colors or different types of the molten material.
- the hopper 20 is provided in the ejection unit 100.
- the hopper 20 may be provided outside the ejection unit 100.
- a material is supplied from the hopper 20.
- a material supply means is not limited to the hopper 20 as long as a material can be supplied to the flat screw 40. Modified example 6
- the flow rate from the first air blowing section 71 may be modified depending on the diameter of the nozzle 61. That is, the flow rate can be adjusted depending on the line diameter of the molten material ejected from the nozzle 61. For example, the flow rate can be increased with an increase in line diameter to thereby efficiently decrease the temperature of the molten material. Further, the temperature of the blown air can be adjusted depending on the diameter of the nozzle 61 (line diameter of the molten material) ejected from the nozzle 61. For example, the temperature of the blown air can be decreased with an increase in the line diameter to thereby efficiently decrease the temperature of the molten material. Further, a gas blown from the air blowing unit 70 is not limited to air, and may be an inert gas such as nitrogen, for example. The type of the gas may be modified as appropriate depending on the type of the molten material.
- the flow rate from the air blowing unit 70 may be modified depending on the movement speed of the ejection section 60.
- the control unit 300 may decrease the flow rate from the first air blowing section 71 with an increase in the movement speed of the ejection section 60, and may increase the flow rate from the first air blowing section 71 with a decrease in the movement speed of the ejection section 60.
- the flow rate can be increased when the movement speed of the ejection section 60 decreases during modeling of a corner of the three-dimensional object, for example.
- the temperature of the molten material may be quickly decreased during modeling of a corner, which improves a modeling precision of the corner.
- control unit 300 may suspend blowing of air from the air blowing unit 70 in ejection of the molten material that is directly in contact with the platform 200. According to this configuration, the molten material can be prevented from being peeled off from the platform 200.
Description
- The present invention relates to three-dimensional modeling apparatuses and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects.
- Regarding three-dimensional modeling apparatuses,
JP-A-2006-192710 - However, depending on the temperature of the plasticized material, the material may not quickly solidify, and the deposition may be performed while the material is melted. As a consequence, the deposited material may be deformed due to its weight, leading to a low modeling precision.
-
CN 103 552 240 discloses a cooling device for a 3D printer, comprising an annular member for surrounding an extrusion nozzle, and an air pump. The annular member includes upper and lower parts, the latter provided with a plurality of concentric annular gas paths to ensure that a cooling range is uniformly distributed about the extrusion nozzle, to ensure the same amount of cooling on the local raw materials and to avoid vibration on the extrusion nozzle. -
US 2015/314528 discloses a method and apparatus for increasing inter-layer bonding in objects manufactured by 3D printing techniques. According to the disclosure, this bonding is improved by using one or more targeted heat sources to preheat a targeted portion of existing object material before additional material is added to the object. - The present invention can be implemented as the following aspects.
- (1) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to
claim 1.
According to the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of this aspect, deposition can be performed after the temperature of the molten material ejected from the nozzle is decreased. Accordingly, deformation of the three-dimensional object due to its weight after deposition can be prevented. As a result, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be improved. - (2) The three-dimensional modeling apparatus of the above aspect may further include a second air blowing section that blows air from a circumference of the first air blowing section in a direction toward the platform. With this configuration, air blown from the second air blowing section toward the platform can block a change in the air flow around the ejection section. Accordingly, fluctuation in the ejection direction of the material ejected from the nozzle due to disturbance factors can be prevented. Accordingly, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved.
- (3) In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of the above aspect, the second air blowing section may include a plurality of second air outlets disposed around the first air blowing section to perform blowing of air toward the platform, a flow rate of the second air outlets can be each adjusted, and the control unit may control the flow rate of each of the second air outlets depending on a movement direction of the ejection section relative to the platform. Accordingly, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved.
- (4) In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of the above aspect, the plasticizing section may include a flat screw and a heating unit. According to this three-dimensional modeling apparatus, the entire apparatus can be downsized.
- The present invention can be implemented in various forms besides the three-dimensional modeling apparatus described above. For example, the present invention can be implemented as a method for fabricating a three-dimensional object, a computer program for fabricating a three-dimensional object, a non-transitory tangible storage medium that stores the computer program, or the like.
- According to another aspect of the invention, therefore, there is provided a method according to
claim 5. - Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
-
Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus of a first embodiment not according to the invention. -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a flat screw. -
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a heating unit. -
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a schematic structure of an air blowing unit. -
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an undersurface of the air blowing unit. -
Fig. 6 is a view which illustrates an effect of the first embodiment. -
Fig. 7 is a view which illustrates an effect of the first embodiment. -
Fig. 8 is a view which illustrates an effect of the first embodiment. -
Fig. 9 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of an air blowing unit of a second embodiment. -
Fig. 10 is an explanatory view which illustrates a concept of flow rate control by a control unit. -
Fig. 11 is an explanatory view which illustrates a concept of flow rate control by the control unit. -
Fig. 12 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus of a third embodiment. -
Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of a first embodiment not in accordance with the present invention. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes anejection unit 100, aplatform 200, and acontrol unit 300.Fig. 1 indicates three directions X, Y, and Z perpendicular to each other. The X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions, and +the Z direction is a vertically upward direction. These directions are indicated as necessary in other drawings as well. Hereinafter, +Z direction is also referred to as an "upper side," and -Z direction is also referred to as a "lower side." - The
ejection unit 100 includes ascrew case 15, ahopper 20 that accommodates a material, adrive motor 30, aflat screw 40, aheating unit 50, anejection section 60 having anozzle 61 for ejecting a molten material, and an air blowingunit 70. Theflat screw 40 and theheating unit 50 constitute a plasticizingsection 90 that plasticizes a thermoplastic material to transform into a molten material. The term "plasticize" as used herein refers to application of heat to melt a material. - A thermoplastic material is inputted into the
hopper 20. Examples of a material that can be used include polypropylene resin (PP), polyethylene resin (PE), polyacetal resin (POM), polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC), polyamide resin (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS), polylactic acid resin (PLA), polyphenylene sulfide resin (PPS), poly ether ketone (PEEK), and polycarbonate (PC). Further, materials in the form of solids such as pellet and powder can be used. Further, thermoplastic materials may be composites containing a thermoplastic material and other components. - The
flat screw 40 of the plasticizingsection 90 is housed in thescrew case 15 and is rotated by thedrive motor 30. A material is supplied onto the side surface of theflat screw 40 from thehopper 20 via acommunication path 22. A material is plasticized into a molten material in a space between the undersurface of theflat screw 40 and the upper surface of theheating unit 50 by rotation of theflat screw 40 and heat from theheating unit 50. Theheating unit 50 has aheater 58 embedded therein for heating a material. The molten material is supplied to theejection section 60 via acommunication hole 56 disposed at the center of theheating unit 50, and ejected through thenozzle 61. The diameter of thenozzle 61 is, for example, in the range of 0.07 to 2.0 mm, and the line diameter of the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61 is also in the range of 0.07 to 2.0 mm. - The
platform 200 is a table on which the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61 is deposited. In the present embodiment, theplatform 200 has a plate shape. Theplatform 200 can be moved in three axis directions, that is, X, Y, and Z directions, by thetransport mechanism 220. Thetransport mechanism 220 has a function of changing the relative positional relationship between theejection section 60 and theplatform 200. Thetransport mechanism 220 can be used to change the relative positional relationship between theejection section 60 and theplatform 200 to thereby produce a three-dimensional object OB having a desired shape. In the present embodiment, thetransport mechanism 220 transports theplatform 200 in a three-dimensional manner. However, thetransport mechanism 220 may have a mechanism that moves the ejection section 60 (that is, the ejection unit 100) in a three-dimensional manner. Alternatively, another transport mechanism can be used in which one of the ejection section 60 (that is, the ejection unit 100) and theplatform 200 is moved in the first or second axial direction, while the other may be moved in the other axial direction. - The
control unit 300 controls thedrive motor 30 of theejection unit 100 and thetransport mechanism 220 to thereby control the position of theejection section 60 relative to theplatform 200, and thus the position at which the molten material is deposited on theplatform 200. Further, thecontrol unit 300 controls blowing of air from theair blowing unit 70. In the present embodiment, thecontrol unit 300 performs blowing of air from theair blowing unit 70 when theejection section 60 ejects the molten material, and stops blowing of air from theair blowing unit 70 when theejection section 60 does not eject the molten material. Thecontrol unit 300 can be implemented, for example, by a processor such as a CPU, and a computer including a memory. The memory stores a computer program for controlling the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium. -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view which illustrates the undersurface of theflat screw 40. Theflat screw 40 is a screw having a substantially columnar shape with the height in the axial direction smaller than the diameter. Theflat screw 40 has a plurality ofscroll grooves 42 on the surface facing the heating unit 50 (Fig. 1 ). The surface on which thescroll grooves 42 are formed is referred to as a "scrollgroove forming surface 48." Thescroll grooves 42 are formed in a volute or spiral shape extending from the outer periphery of theflat screw 40 toward thecenter part 46 of the scrollgroove forming surface 48. Thescroll groove 42 is continuous with amaterial inlet 44 formed on the side surface of theflat screw 40. Thematerial inlet 44 is a portion that receives a material supplied from thehopper 20 via thecommunication path 22. As theflat screw 40 rotates, the material is plasticized while being heated. -
Fig. 3 is a plan view of theheating unit 50. Theheating unit 50 has ascrew facing surface 52 that faces the scrollgroove forming surface 48 of theflat screw 40. Thescrew facing surface 52 has a plurality ofguide grooves 54 formed in a volute or spiral shape. Thecommunication hole 56 is formed at the center of thescrew facing surface 52 so as to supply a molten material therethrough to theejection section 60. The plurality ofguide grooves 54 has a function of guiding a molten material to thecommunication hole 56. As shown inFig. 1 , theheating unit 50 has aheater 58 embedded therein for heating a material. The material is plasticized by heating of theheater 58 and rotation of theflat screw 40. The plasticized molten material is heated to a glass transition temperature or higher to be completely melted, and ejected from theejection section 60 through thecommunication hole 56. -
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a schematic structure of theair blowing unit 70.Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an undersurface of theair blowing unit 70. Theair blowing unit 70 includes a firstair blowing section 71 and a secondair blowing section 81. In the present embodiment, the temperature of air blown from the firstair blowing section 71 and the secondair blowing section 81 is room temperature (20°C). - The first
air blowing section 71 blows air from the circumference of thenozzle 61 toward the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. The firstair blowing section 71 of the present embodiment blows air from a position above the tip of thenozzle 61 toward the molten material. In the present embodiment, the firstair blowing section 71 includes afirst member 72 having a substantially tubular shape which is fixed to the circumference of theejection section 60 of a columnar shape. Aprotrusion 73 of a flange shape is provided on the outer periphery of thefirst member 72. A firstair guide member 74 is provided on the distal side relative to the protrusion 73 (on the -Z direction-side). The firstair guide member 74 formed in a substantially conical shape and has an opening at the center of the tip. From the opening of the firstair guide member 74, the conical tip of theejection section 60 protrudes in the -Z direction. - Inside the
first member 72, aspiral flow path 75 is formed to extend along the outer periphery of theejection section 60. Afirst introduction port 76 is provided at the upper end of theflow path 75 so that compressed air is introduced therethrough. The air which has flowed through theflow path 75 is blown out along the firstair guide member 74 which is provided on the circumference of thenozzle 61 toward the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. Since the compressed air flows through thespiral flow path 75, the air blown out from the firstair blowing section 71 may become a turbulence. Accordingly, the temperature of the molten material can be efficiently decreased. The amount of air flow (flow rate) from the firstair blowing section 71 is, for example, in the range of 3 to 50 L/min. This flow rate is set so that the temperature (for example, 200°C) of the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61 is decreased to a temperature of 5 to 30°C higher than the glass transition temperature of the material, and more preferably a temperature of 10 to 20°C higher than the glass transition temperature of the material. Moreover, theflow path 75 may have a double spiral structure. Alternatively, theflow path 75 is not limited to a spiral shape, and may be a tubular flow path, for example. - The first
air blowing section 71 of the present embodiment configured as above performs blowing of air from the entire circumference of thenozzle 61. Alternatively, the firstair blowing section 71 may be configured to blow air toward the molten material from air flow ports disposed at three or more, preferably four or more positions on the circumference of thenozzle 61 at a constant angular interval. With this configuration as well, air can be blown from the circumference of thenozzle 61. - The second
air blowing section 81 blows air from the circumference of the firstair blowing section 71 in a direction toward theplatform 200. The direction toward theplatform 200 refers to a direction having a component of a direction toward theplatform 200, and is preferably a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of theplatform 200. In the present embodiment, the secondair blowing section 81 includes anannular member 83 fixed to the circumference of theprotrusion 73, and a secondair guide member 84 formed in a substantially conical shape which extends from the undersurface of the annular member 83 (the surface on the -Z direction-side) to the circumference of the opening of the firstair guide member 74. Asecond introduction port 85 is provided on theannular member 83 so that compressed air is introduced therethrough. The air which has introduced from thesecond introduction port 85 flows in a space formed between the firstair guide member 74 and the secondair guide member 84 and is blown out from the opening of the secondair guide member 84 toward theplatform 200. The opening of the secondair guide member 84 and the opening of the firstair guide member 74 are concentrically disposed about the center of thenozzle 61. The flow rate from the secondair blowing section 81 is not specifically limited, but preferably a flow rate that ensures a laminar flow. - The second
air blowing section 81 of the present embodiment configured as above performs blowing of air from the entire circumference of the firstair blowing section 71. Alternatively, the secondair blowing section 81 may be configured to blow air from air flow ports disposed at three or more, preferably four or more positions on the circumference of the firstair blowing section 71 at a constant angular interval. With this configuration as well, air can be blown from the circumference of the firstair blowing section 71. - In the present embodiment, the three-dimensional object OB is generally fabricated according to the following procedure. That is, a method for fabricating a three-dimensional object according to the present embodiment includes:
- (1) plasticizing a thermoplastic material to transform into a molten material;
- (2) ejecting the molten material from the
nozzle 61 disposed on theejection section 60; - (3) blowing air from a circumference of the
nozzle 61 toward the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61; and - (4) depositing the molten material ejected from the
nozzle 61 onto theplatform 200 while changing a relative positional relationship between theejection section 60 and theplatform 200. -
Figs. 6 to 8 are views which illustrate an effect of the present embodiment.Fig. 6 illustrates a hollow box fabricated as a three-dimensional object without blowing air toward the molten material. As shown inFig. 6 , when air was not blown toward the molten material, the top surface of the box sagged due to its weight. This was attributed to the fact that the temperature of the deposited material was too high to hold the shape. On the other hand, when a box was fabricated while blowing air from theair blowing unit 70, the box was fabricated without sag of the top surface as shown inFig. 7 . Further, as shown inFig. 8 , drawing of a single line in the air can also be performed by blowing air toward the molten material. This was attributed to the fact that theair blowing unit 70 decreased the temperature of the molten material, which enabled adhesion and shape holding of the materials. Further, the three-dimensional objects shown inFigs. 6 to 8 were all fabricated by transforming an ABS resin having a glass transition temperature of 89°C into the molten material of a 1.0 mm line diameter and a 200°C temperature. In addition, the three-dimensional objects shown inFigs. 7 and8 were fabricated by depositing the molten material whose temperature was decreased to approximately 100°C by theair blowing unit 70. The temperature (200°C) of the molten material before blowing of air is a temperature of the material in thenozzle 61, while the temperature (100°C) after blowing of air is a temperature of the material at the time when the material is ejected from thenozzle 61 to be deposited on theplatform 200 or on the layer which has been already formed. - According to the three-
dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of the present embodiment described above, deposition is performed after the temperature of the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61 is decreased by the firstair blowing section 71. Accordingly, deformation of the material due to its weight after deposition can be prevented. As a result, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be improved. Further, according to the present embodiment, an overhang portion in the three-dimensional object shown inFig. 8 can be fabricated without using a support material. The support material is a material for supporting the overhang portion from the underside during fabrication of the three-dimensional object and the material is removed after the three-dimensional object is fabricated. - Further, in the present embodiment, since air is blown toward the molten material from the circumference of the
nozzle 61, the ejection direction of the molten material can be stabilized. Accordingly, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved. - Further, in the present embodiment, air blown from the second
air blowing section 81 toward theplatform 200 can block a change in the air flow around theejection section 60. Accordingly, fluctuation in the ejection direction of the material ejected from thenozzle 61 due to disturbance factors can be prevented. As a result, the modeling precision of the three-dimensional object can be further improved. - Further, according to the three-
dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a material is plasticized by theplasticizing section 90 which includes theflat screw 40. As a result, the height of the apparatus can be reduced, and the entire apparatus can be downsized. Further, in the present embodiment, since a material is plasticized into a melted state by using theflat screw 40 and the molten material is ejected from thenozzle 61 to fabricate the three-dimensional object OB, various types and shapes of materials can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects. This is a great advantage over the conventional fused deposition modeling (FDM) type three-dimensional modeling apparatus, which requires a filament of the material. - In addition, the
air blowing unit 70 of the present embodiment includes two air blowing sections, that is, the firstair blowing section 71 and the secondair blowing section 81. However, the secondair blowing section 81 may not be necessarily provided. Further, in the present embodiment, thecontrol unit 300 controls whether theair blowing unit 70 blows air or not. However, blowing of air from theair blowing unit 70 can also be controlled manually or by use of another device. - In the first embodiment, air is uniformly blown from the entire circumference of the
nozzle 61 by theair blowing unit 70. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, thecontrol unit 300 controls the direction of air flow from the air blowing unit. -
Fig. 9 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of anair blowing unit 70a of the second embodiment.Fig. 9 illustrates positioning of air outlets of theair blowing unit 70a as viewed from the above (on the +Z direction-side). A firstair blowing section 71a of the present embodiment includes a plurality offirst air outlets 77 disposed around thenozzle 61 to perform blowing of air toward the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. The flow rate of thefirst air outlets 77 can be each adjusted. In the present embodiment, eightfirst air outlets 77 are disposed around thenozzle 61 at a constant angular interval. Compressed air is supplied to the respectivefirst air outlets 77 via a piping. Thecontrol unit 300 controls on/off and flow rate of the air flow of each of thefirst air outlets 77 by controlling valves disposed in the piping. - Further, a second
air blowing section 81a of the present embodiment includes a plurality ofsecond air outlets 87 disposed around the firstair blowing section 71a to perform blowing of air toward theplatform 200. The flow rate of thesecond air outlets 87 can be each adjusted. In the present embodiment, eightsecond air outlets 87 are disposed around the firstair blowing section 71a at a constant angular interval. Compressed air is supplied to the respectivesecond air outlets 87 via a piping. Thecontrol unit 300 controls on/off and flow rate of the air flow of each of thesecond air outlets 87 by controlling valves disposed in the piping. - In the present embodiment, the
control unit 300 controls the flow rate of each of thefirst air outlets 77 depending on the movement direction of theejection section 60 relative to theplatform 200. Further, thecontrol unit 300 controls the flow rate of each of thesecond air outlets 87 depending on the movement direction of theejection section 60 relative to theplatform 200. -
Figs. 10 and11 are explanatory views which illustrate a concept of air flow control by thecontrol unit 300.Fig. 10 shows the movement direction of theejection section 60 during fabrication of the three-dimensional object shown inFig. 8 . The first direction shown inFig. 10 indicates the direction of theejection section 60 moving in the -Y direction. The second direction indicates the direction of theejection section 60 moving in the -X direction. The third direction indicates the direction of theejection section 60 moving in the +Y direction. The fourth direction indicates the direction of theejection section 60 moving in the +X direction. The fifth direction indicates the direction of theejection section 60 moving in the +X direction and -Y direction. -
Fig. 11 illustrates the amount of air flow (flow rate) of thefirst air outlets 77 and thesecond air outlets 87 depending on the movement direction of theejection section 60. Further,Fig. 11 illustrates a blow direction of air to the deposited linear shaped molten material in conjunction with the cross-section of the molten material. As shown inFigs. 10 and11 , in the present embodiment, thecontrol unit 300 increases the flow rate of thefirst air outlets 77 and thesecond air outlets 87 located forward and lateral side in the movement direction of theejection section 60. On the other hand, thecontrol unit 300 decreases the flow rate of thefirst air outlets 77 and thesecond air outlets 87 located rearward in the movement direction of theejection section 60. - According to the present embodiment, controlling the flow rate of the
first air outlets 77 and thesecond air outlets 87 can reduce the effect of the change in air flow around theejection section 60 caused by movement of theejection section 60 on the ejection direction of the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. Accordingly, three-dimensional objects can be fabricated with higher precision. - In the present embodiment, the flow rates of the air outlets of both the first
air blowing section 71a and the secondair blowing section 81a are controlled. However, the air outlets of either the firstair blowing section 71a or the secondair blowing section 81a may also be controlled. - Further, the present embodiment is described as having eight
first air outlets 77 and eightsecond air outlets 87. However, the number of air outlets may be smaller (e.g., four) or larger (e.g., sixteen) than those described. - Further, in the present embodiment, the flow rate is adjusted in three levels (low flow rate, medium flow rate, and high flow rate) as shown in
Fig. 11 . However, the flow rate may be adjusted in two levels, that is, whether to blow or not to blow. -
Fig. 12 is an explanatory view of a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10b of the third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment differs from the other embodiments in the configuration of the air blowing unit. - As shown in
Fig. 12 , anair blowing unit 70b of the present embodiment includes fourtubes 79 disposed around the nozzle 61 (ejection section 60) at a constant angular interval. For convenience of illustration, only twotubes 79 are shown inFig. 12 . Thesetubes 79 are, for example, fixed to theejection section 60 or thescrew case 15 by aclamp 91 or the like. Eachtube 79 has a function corresponding to the firstair blowing section 71 of the first embodiment. Therefore, compressed air is introduced into therespective tubes 79 so that air is blown from the end of eachtube 79 toward the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. - As shown in the present embodiment, the temperature of the molten material ejected from the
nozzle 61 can also be decreased by use of theair blowing unit 70b configured with thetube 79 to thereby improve modeling precision of the three-dimensional object OB. With this configuration, since the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10b with a simple configuration can be provided, the production cost of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10b can be reduced. - Further, the present embodiment is described as having four
tubes 79. However, the number oftubes 79 may be more than four. For example, as with the third embodiment, eighttubes 79 may be disposed around thenozzle 61 at a constant angular interval. Moreover, a plurality of tubes may be disposed around thesetubes 79 at a constant angular interval to thereby configure the firstair blowing sections 71 and the secondair blowing sections 81 with the tubes. - In the above embodiment, air is blown to the material (constituent material) of the three-dimensional object. However, air may be blown to a support material that supports the constituent material. That is, the present invention may be applied not only to the constituent material, but also to deposition of the support material used for fabrication of the three-dimensional object.
- In the above embodiment, the
flat screw 40 is used to plasticize the material. However, theejection unit 100 is not limited to that uses theflat screw 40 as long as it is configured to plasticize a material for ejection. For example, theejection unit 100 may be configured to melt a material by using a preheater and extrude the molten material from an extrusion nozzle by rotation of a long-length screw. - In the above embodiment, the three-
dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes theejection unit 100, theplatform 200, and thecontrol unit 300. Alternatively, only theejection unit 100 can be regarded as the three-dimensional modeling apparatus in a more restricted sense. - In the above embodiment, the three-
dimensional modeling apparatus 10 includes oneejection unit 100. Alternatively, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 may include a plurality ofejection units 100. For example, in the configuration having twoejection units 100, one of theejection units 100 may be configured to eject a support material for supporting the three-dimensional object OB, while the other may be configured to eject the constituent material of the three-dimensional object OB. Further, therespective ejection units 100 may be configured to eject different colors or different types of the molten material. - In the above embodiment, the
hopper 20 is provided in theejection unit 100. However, thehopper 20 may be provided outside theejection unit 100. Further, in the above embodiment, a material is supplied from thehopper 20. However, a material supply means is not limited to thehopper 20 as long as a material can be supplied to theflat screw 40. Modified example 6 - In the above embodiment, the flow rate from the first
air blowing section 71 may be modified depending on the diameter of thenozzle 61. That is, the flow rate can be adjusted depending on the line diameter of the molten material ejected from thenozzle 61. For example, the flow rate can be increased with an increase in line diameter to thereby efficiently decrease the temperature of the molten material. Further, the temperature of the blown air can be adjusted depending on the diameter of the nozzle 61 (line diameter of the molten material) ejected from thenozzle 61. For example, the temperature of the blown air can be decreased with an increase in the line diameter to thereby efficiently decrease the temperature of the molten material. Further, a gas blown from theair blowing unit 70 is not limited to air, and may be an inert gas such as nitrogen, for example. The type of the gas may be modified as appropriate depending on the type of the molten material. - In the above embodiment, the flow rate from the
air blowing unit 70 may be modified depending on the movement speed of theejection section 60. For example, thecontrol unit 300 may decrease the flow rate from the firstair blowing section 71 with an increase in the movement speed of theejection section 60, and may increase the flow rate from the firstair blowing section 71 with a decrease in the movement speed of theejection section 60. According to this configuration, the flow rate can be increased when the movement speed of theejection section 60 decreases during modeling of a corner of the three-dimensional object, for example. As a result, the temperature of the molten material may be quickly decreased during modeling of a corner, which improves a modeling precision of the corner. - In the above embodiment, the
control unit 300 may suspend blowing of air from theair blowing unit 70 in ejection of the molten material that is directly in contact with theplatform 200. According to this configuration, the molten material can be prevented from being peeled off from theplatform 200.
Claims (5)
- A three-dimensional modeling apparatus (10) for fabricating a three-dimensional object (OB), the three-dimensional modeling apparatus comprising:a plasticizing section (90) for plasticizing a thermoplastic material to transform into a molten material;an ejection section (60) for ejecting the molten material from nozzle (61);a first air blowing section (71) for blowing air from a circumference of the nozzle toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle, wherein the first air blowing section is configured to decrease the temperature of the molten material ejected from the nozzle (61);a platform (200) on which the molten material ejected from the nozzle can be deposited;a control unit (300) for controlling the first air blowing section; anda transport mechanism (220) for changing a relative positional relationship between the ejection section and the platform, whereinthe first air blowing section includes a plurality of first air outlets (77) disposed around the nozzle (61) to perform blowing of air toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle, andthe control unit is configured to control a flow rate of each of the first air outlets depending on a movement direction of the ejection section relative to the platform.
- The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising a second air blowing section (81) for blowing air from a circumference of the first air blowing section in a direction toward the platform.
- The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein
the second air blowing section includes a plurality of second air outlets (87) disposed around the first air blowing section to perform blowing of air toward the platform, and
the control unit is configured to control a flow rate of each of the second air outlets depending on a movement direction of the ejection section relative to the platform. - The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plasticizing section includes a flat screw (40) and a heating unit (50).
- A method for fabricating a three-dimensional object (OB) comprising:plasticizing a thermoplastic material to transform into a molten material;ejecting the molten material from a nozzle (61) disposed on an ejection section (100); andblowing air from a circumference of the nozzle toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle using a first air blowing section (71) so as to decrease the temperature of the molten material ejected from the nozzle (61),the molten material ejected from the nozzle being deposited onto a platform (200) while changing a relative positional relationship between the ejection section and the platform, whereinthe first air blowing section includes a plurality of air outlets (77) disposed around the nozzle (61) to perform blowing of air toward the molten material ejected from the nozzle, and wherein the method further comprisescontrolling a flow rate of each of the air outlets depending on a movement direction of the ejection section relative to the platform.
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JP2017095394A JP6926655B2 (en) | 2017-05-12 | 2017-05-12 | 3D modeling equipment and 3D object manufacturing method |
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EP (1) | EP3401081B1 (en) |
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US20180326658A1 (en) | 2018-11-15 |
CN108859101A (en) | 2018-11-23 |
US10875242B2 (en) | 2020-12-29 |
JP2018192624A (en) | 2018-12-06 |
JP6926655B2 (en) | 2021-08-25 |
EP3401081A1 (en) | 2018-11-14 |
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